Returned to Japanese Maple Bonsai after a difficult first attempt

My first attempt at Japanese Maple Bonsai failed — spider mite and scale in stressful growing conditions got hold of it and I didn't know what I was looking at until it was too late. I left it alone for a year before trying again.

The second attempt, with proper attention to repotting every two to three years with root pruning, has been completely different. It's now thriving in a bright indoor shelf for tropical species only and living art form that reflects decades of patient cultivation is on full display. autumn colour on deciduous species before leaf fall this year was a genuine reward for starting again. If you failed first time, the plant isn't the problem — the conditions probably were.